Variety followed up Sunday’s Academy Awards with a different batch of envelopes, handing out pink slips to eight editorial staffers—including chief film critic Todd McCarthy and theater critic David Rooney—in its latest reorg. Reed Business Information has sold or plans to sell most of its U.S. titles that rely heavily…

The Nook is only part of Barnes & Noble’s digital strategy. Now that the e-reader is launched and its production problems appear to be resolved, B&N is heightening its focus on another major area: selling digital content through its own site and device, and through other devices like the upcoming…

The bankruptcy court overseeing b2b publisher Penton’s Chapter 11 filing has approved the company’s “pre-packaged” reorg plan, less than a month after it sought protection from creditors. Penton says that the court’s approval has paved the way for the publisher to emerge from bankruptcy “within days.” One advantage Penton had…

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO) held its advertising upfront yesterday and unlike the traditional TV upfront events that are getting under way, the focus here was the company’s range of cross-platform offerings, all of which are tied together with social media elements. The centerpiece of the presentation was a…

As expected, Dow Jones (NYSE: NWS) has bought the remaining 50 percent stake in personal finance mag SmartMoney from Hearst. The financial terms weren’t disclosed. In addition to the magazine, Dow Jones will own 100 percent of the related website along with the SmartMoney Custom Solutions unit. In a statement,…

After having shed its some of it major b2b mags, Nielsen has now sold off some of its smaller business travel and meeting brands to Northstar Travel Media, Folio reported. The sale, terms of which were not disclosed, includes Business Travel News, Successful Meetings, Meeting News, Incentive and online meetings…

If Sports Illustrated (NYSE: TWX) wasn’t already serious about getting into online video, these numbers probably would have management scrambling: SI.com has served more than 70 million video streams connected to the 2010 edition of the iconic swimsuit issue, roughly double last year’s total. A site revamp launching this afternoon…

An all-hands staff meeting has been called for 9:30 a.m. at Publishers Weekly, according to a source familiar with the situation. PW is one of the remaining U.S. Reed Business Information titles the company has said it plans to divest; RBI plans to keep only Variety among its U.S. ad-supported…

Funny how the parallel universe works: the same magazine publishers who were touting digital last year because, well, print sucked, are now going to spend about $90 million talking about how print rules as the economy shows signs of an uptick. Five of the leading publishers—Time Inc. (NYSE: TWX) Hearst,…

Some more new numbers on Nielsen’s sale of eight of its marquee media-entertainment related brands—including The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Adweek, Brandweek, Mediaweek and others—from the media conglom’s 10-K filed earlier this morning, following its Q409 results, also announced today. When the sale was announced, the price wasn’t disclosed, but a…

Paul Greenberg (image, left) is leaving his job as EVP/GM at TV Guide Online to become digital president of Time (NYSE: TWX) Inc.‘s Lifestyle Group. He’ll start in mid-March and report to Lifestyle Group President Steve Sachs. Time Inc. formed the Lifestyle Group about a year and a half ago…

Print advertising declines may have eased a bit, but magazines are still struggling. Women’s magazine publisher Meredith Corp. (NYSE: MDP) has attempted to get ahead of the industry’s upheaval by aggressively diversifying its operations with integrated marketing offerings during the last five years. A WSJ piece provides a good overview…

As the interest in e-readers is finally starting to emerge, UK mag publisher Haymarket has unveiled an e-paper version of Autosport in a bid to get more overseas subscribers. It will also be available free to all current print subs through its Autosport.com site. The launch of the e-paper version…

Dow Jones (NYSE: NWS) wants to buy the 50 percent stake it doesn’t currently have in personal finance mag SmartMoney from Hearst, the WSJ reports, citing unidentified sources. No word on what price DJ is offering for the magazine, though a deal could be hammered out by next week. The…

After a series of delays, the Reader’s Digest Association has finally emerged from bankruptcy having reduced its debt by 75 percent, the company said. The publisher, which filed for Chapter 11 protection last August, has received $525 million in exit financing from a bond refinancing that will provide RDA with…

Playboy (NYSE: PLA) President Alex Vaickus opened up the company’s Q4 earnings call with a big “thank you” to pop singer John Mayer, whose controversial interview in the March 2010 issue has been covered by 1,500 media outlets. But as he and CEO Scott Flanders made clear, executives don’t expect…

Playboy (NYSE: PLA) Enterprises’ hopes for a planned sale were dashed during Q4, as its revenue troubles continued as well. As the company’s loss narrowed to $27.8 million from last year’s $146.8 million, combined print and digital revenues fell 14 percent. On its own, digital slid 10.7 percent in Q4.…

		EPS*	Rev. vs Q408	Net Inc. vs Q408
Playboy	Release		13.2%	81.1%

* vs. Analysts' Estimates: Beat Met Missed

Venerable publishing institutions are not overlooked by the crosshairs of technological and economic disruption. Seventy-two years after its first edition, the Reader’s Digest’s UK edition, which bills itself as “the world’s favourite magazine’, has filed for administration, after failing to win government backing for a pension fund rescue plan. This…

Update: It has been announced officially by the two companies: Canon Communications is buying four brands from Reed Business Information-US: Electronic Design News (EDN), Design News, Test & Measurement World, and Packaging Digest. This is a worldwide deal for the brands bought, not just U.S.; the acquisition of the US…